Closure applying machine



Jan. 5, 1932.

H: A. GUSTAFSON CLOSURE APPLYING MACHINE Filed Nov. 28, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR .BM a. J. 8AM, (Wm M ATTORNEY Jan. 5, 1932. H. A. GUSTAFSON v 1,839,918

7 CLOSURE APPLYING MACHINE Filed Nov. 28. 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 7 Illlllllllllllllll llllllllllllllllll' cgb ATTORNEY Jan. 5, 1932. H. A. GUSTAFSON 1,339,918

. CLOSURE APPLYING MACHINE Filed Nov. 28, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR JAM, 0.9m

and, QIMQLL ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 5, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT oF ics HENRY A.'-GUSTAFSON, OF DCRCI-IESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGN 'OB TO PNEUMATIC SCALE CORPORATION, LIMITED, OF QUINCY, MASSACHUSETTS, A COEEORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS CLOSURE APPLYING MACHINE Application filed November 28, 1927. Serial No. 236,040.

A further and more. specific object of the,

invention is to provide a novel and improved machine for applying screw caps to containers, such as bottles, and in which provision is made for handling the screw caps and applying them to the containers by novel and simplified mechanism.

With these objects in view, the invention consists in the machine, and in the structures,

- arrangements and combinations of parts here'- inafter described and particularly defined in the claims at the end of this specification.

In thedrawings the invention is illustrated as embodied in a bottle capping machine, wherein Figure 1 is a. front elevation of the machine; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the right hand side of the machine shown in Fig.

1; Figs. 3 and 4 are plan and sectional views respectively of one form of diaphragm forming part of a novel suction chuck to, be re-- ferred to; Fig. 5 is an alternate form of diaphragm; Fig. 6 is a sectional view illustrat-ing the details of the novel suction chuck for' holding and applying the screw caps; Fig. 7 is a detail of a part of the cap transfer arm; Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic View of mechanism for controlling the feeding of the caps from the bottles; -Fig. 9 is a diagrammatic view of the mechanism for supplying the suction to. the chuck; andFig. 10 is a detail illustrating a portion of the mechanism for controlling the feeding of the caps.

In its preferred form the present invention contemplates the provision of a machine which may be either an a uto'matic or a semiautomatic machine, for applying closures such as screw caps to containers, such as bottles, in which provision is made for applying the closure to the container by mechanism including a novel closure holding device having provision for holding a. closure therein and for exerting a frictional torque upon the closure in applying it to the container In the preferred machine provision is made for holding the closure in the closure holding device by suction. In order to facilitate the adaptation of the machine to containers of difi'erent heights, provision is also preferably made for enabling adjustment of themachine to be made in a novel and simplified manner whereby the closure holding mechanism and its associated operating parts. may be adjusted as a unit for the diflerent heights of containers, and also in the preferred machine provision is preferably made for controlling the operation of the machine to the end that a closure member will not be fed unless a container is moved into position to receive it.

Referring now to the drawings which illustrate the preferred embodiment of the. invention, the machine therein illustrated is adapted to apply screw caps to bottles, and wherein the bottles are preferably fed into the machine on an incoming conveyor 10 and then pushed over in succession onto a conveyor 12 (see Fig. 1) by the operator or by suitable transferring mechanism (not.

shown). The conveyor 12 is intermittently I driven as will be-described and comprises an endless belt provided with a series of lugs 13 thereon and which is arranged to travel around a pair of pulleys 17, 19, the latter being the driven pulley. In the operation of the machine each bottie is transferred from the conveyor 10 to the conveyor 12 in a mark ner such that it is placedin frontof one'of the lugs 13 and the row of'bottles is advanced into the machine between guide rails 14.

When the foremost bottle arrives into operative position, illustrated in Fig. 1, provision is made for holdingit firmly in its position as it is supported upon the belt orconveyor 12 and to prevent rotation of the bottle during the bottle capping operation, and as herein shown gripping jaws 20', 21 are provided, see Fig. 2, which are curved and shaped to engage and grip the lateral surface of the bottle and to hold it firmly in place. The grippers 20, 21 are mounted upon levers 22, pivoted on shafts 23, jouri lled in a bracket attached to the machine frame.\The levers 100,

22 are provided with slots 24 in which are received bolts 25adjustably connecting the levers 22 with levers 26 having formed on their ends segments 27, the bolts 25 being provided with nuts for engaging the levers 22 to clamp the parts in their adjusted position. The segments 27 cooperate and serve to rock the gripping members 20, 21 into operative and inoperative position when one of the shafts 23 is rocked by an operating cam 30 through a cam roll 31 and lever 31, the latter being clamped to the shaft23, and the cam 30 is rotated in timed relation to the other operations of the machine, as will be described. I

During the interval of timein the operation of the machine that the foremost bottle or container is being moved into operative position ready for the application of a closure thereto, provision is made for inserting the closure into the mouth of a novel chuck indicated generally at 32, and the construction and mode of operation of which will be hereinafterdescribed, and for thereafter lowering thechuck 32 into position to cause the closure to engage the mouth of the container and for rotating the chuck to screw the closure onto the container.

Referring particularly to Fig. 1, the illustrated machine'is provided with a semi-automatic closure feeding mechanism which includes a hopper 33 into which a bulk supply of the closures are dumped and having a platform 34 upon which the operator slides the closures into a. position in which they successively fall down an inclined raceway or guideway 35. The

flow of closures from the guideway is controlled, as will be described, by the containers being fed into the machine by mechanism illustrated in detail in Fig. 8, and including a finger 36 which is normally interposed across the end of the ideway and which is withdrawn as each ottle or container is fed into T operative position and thereafter returned to normal position, thus permitting successive individual closures to fall from the end of the cam is arranged to oscillate the arm 38 with the closure resting on the projecting 37, from a position such as isillustrated in Fig. 1 to a position immediately below the chuck and to cause the arm to remain in such position until the chuck has descended with its mouthpiece over the closure and has lifted again, at which time the arm 38 is then rocked back ported in a housing, as will be described, fixed upon the lower end of an operating shaft 43, the latter being square and mounted to be capable of being moved vertically from a cam 44 through a cam roll 45 and connections 46 as shown in Fig. 2. The cam is driven from the main driving shaft 48 of the machine through suitable gearing connections and through the vertical drive shaft 40, and the bevel gear 176. slidably, mounted on the shaft 40 and driven by means of the key 177. The gear 176 meshes with the gear 178 to drive the cam 44, see Figs 1 and 2. Provision is made for controlling the rotary movement of the shaft 43, and consequently of the chuck 32, and as herein shown the cam 44 has also cooperating with it a cam roll 49 mounted on the end of a lever 50, the latter actuating a friction clutch 52. The driving member 53 of the friction clutch is rotated from the vertical driving shaft 40 through suitable gearing including the cooperating gears 54, 55, 56, 57, as will be apparent from an inspection of Fig. 1. With this arrangement the chuck 32 at the proper time in the operation of the machine, 1s lowered to a position where it picks up the cap, is raised again to permit the cap feeding arm 38 towithdraw,'and then is caused to descend to place the cap upon the container and rotary movement s imparted to the chuck by the operation of the friction clutch 52 to cause the cap to be screwed onto the container.

The chuck 32 is preferably of the construction illustrated in detail in Fig. 6 and comprises the housing 60 mounted upon the end of the shaft 43. The cap or other closure is received within an opening 62 in a mouth-piece 64, the latter having mounted therein a friction member 66 for engaging the top of the cap to frictionally exert a torque upon the cap as the chuck is rotated during the capping operation. Provision is made for holding a cap in the chuck and preferably by suction exerted upon the top side of the cap, and as herein shown suction is created within the mouthpiece 64 by a suction pump 68, see Fig. 9, through piping connections 69 to an inlet pipe 7 O screwed into the chuck 32, thence through an annular opening 72 in the chuck, and through a flexible tube 74 fitted at its lower end into an opening 75 in the supporting piece 76 upon which the mouth-piece '64 is detachpreferably of rubber and of the construction ably screwed. A control valve 77 is interposed in the pipe line 69,being operated froma control cam 7 8 on a shaft 181, the latter being driven from the main shaft 48 through gears 182, 183, 184 and 185, to permit the vacuum maintained in a vacuum chamber 79 to be transmitted to the chuck at those times in the operation of the machine when a cap is to be held in the chuck.

The diaphragm or friction member 66 is illustrated in Fig. 3, having an opening 80 which is adapted to align with the hole 75 above referred to. The hole 7 extends through the diaphragm, tapering outwardly at the bottom, and a plurality of smaller uniform holes are also provided extending through the diaphragm, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The smaller holes provide additional friction for the closure member when suction is applied in the chuck. A conventional form of diaphragm or friction member may be em ployed, however, as shown in Fig. 5, this being of a similar construction except that the smaller holes around the central opening are omitted. With this construction, suction is supplied to the space above the diaphragm within the mouth-piece, and as a result when the cap has been transferred by the oscillatory arm 38 to a position immediately below the mouth-piece of the chuck, and the latter is moved down until the top surface of the cap contacts with the frictional diaphragm 66, then the suction exerted upon the top of the cap through the opening in the diaphragm serves to efficiently hold the cap in the mouthpiece. As the chuck descends and the cap is forced onto the mouth of the container, the friction between the diaphragm and the top of the cap produces sufiicient torque to insure rotation of the cap onto the container.

In the illustrated construction of chuck the supporting piece 76 upon which the mouth piece 64 is screwed has provision for universal movement, and accordingly its upper surface is rounded-and is adapted to engage an annular member 84 against which a coil spring 86 bears to yieldingly hold the mouth-piece in a downward position while permitting a yielding swivel motion in the event that varying heights of bottles or containers are encountered. A suitable gasket 87 is provided for sealing the space within the housing immediately below the end of the shaft 43 so guideways 163. The oscillatory arm 38 and its operating cam 39 together with the hop-' per 33 .and guideway 35, are mounted upon the slide to be vertically movable therewith, and as herein shown the slide is provided with a boss 165, through which a threaded rod or shaft 166 is'screwed. Rotations of a crank 167 through cooperating bevel gears 168,

169, to the shaft 166, thereby cause the slide together with the chuck 32 and its operating mechanism to be conveniently raised and lowered.

I In order to control the operation of the machine to the end that feeding the closures from the guideway may be prevented in v the event that a container is not fed into a link 114 to a bell crank 115 pivoted at 116 upon a bracket (not shown) and having a latch. member 118 cooperating with a similar latch member 120 carried by an arm 122 I pivoted upon a bracket 124. The latch member 120 is connected by a link 126 to an arm 128 secured to a shaft 130, the latter also having clamped thereto a feeler finger 132 which is adapted to extend into the path of the incoming row of containers in the manner illustrated in Fig. 8. Provision is made for automatically withdrawing the finger 36 at each cycle in the operation of the machine to permit a succeeding cap to pass from the guideway 35 and to be deposited upon the end of the oscillatory transfer arm 38 except in such instances as-when the feeler finger 132 is not engaged by a container, and in those instances provision is made for permitting the finger 36' to remain extended into the guideway 35 to thereby prevent the closure members from passing from the guideway. Asherein shown the arm 115 has pivoted thereto a cam arm 140 the latter having a cam roll which cooperates with an operating cam 142. The bell crank 115 is provided with a contact 144 which is adapted to engage the cam arm 140 and hold the cam roll away from its cam 142 in the event that the latch member 120 is interposed in the return path of the latch member 118. Springs 145 and 146 are employed to hold the cam roll against its cam and to yieldinglyhold the bell crank 115 and the cam arm 140 together, the spring 145 being fastened to a pin at the end of an arm 140 and the other end of the spring is fastened to a hook in the bracket 124. The spring tends to keep the cam roll on the arm 140 in contact with the surface of the cam 142. One end of the spring 146 is fastened to the same pin in the end of the arm 140 in engagement with the contact or stop 144. From this description it willbe apparent that. the cam roll on the end of the arm 140 is held continuously in contact with the cam 142 by the spring 146, and that the arm 140 is normally held in contact with the stop 144 by means of the spring 146 as long as containers are being fed into the machine. From this description it will be apparent that in each cycle in the operation of the machine, as long as containers-are being fed into the machine, each container engages the feeler 132, and rocks it in a counter clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 8, against the action of a spring 190, one end of which is fastened to the arm 128, the other end being fastened to the frame of the machine, thereby pulling the latch 120 to the left and permitting the latch 118 and the bell crank 115 to be rocked by the cam 142 to withdraw the finger 36 from the guideway 35. In the event that no container is present to engage the feeler 132, then the latch 120 remains in'the path of the latch 118 and the bell crank 115 is not permitted to be rocked by the cam arm 140 through the spring 146, and as a result the .finger 36 remains extended partially across the guideway 35, preventing delivery of a closure therefrom at such time.

While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been herein illustrated and described, it is to be understood that the different features of the invention may be embodied in other forms within the scope of the following claims.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed. is

1. A machine for applying closures to or tainers having, in combination, container.

feeding means, a rotatable chuck capable being moved into and out of engagement with a container, cap feeding means for feeding successive caps to a position beneath the chuck, vacuum means for creating vacuum within the chuck, means operating in timed relation to the container and cap feeding means for successively establishing commu'nicationbetween the vacuum creating means and the chuck whereby to maintain vacuum prior to or at the time of engagement of the chuck with the cap, container gripping means for automatically gripping the successively fed containers and means for pressing the chuck against the mouth of the container and for rotating the same to thereby relatively rotate the cap and the container and apply the cap to the container.

2. In a machine for applying closures -to containers, in combination, container feeding means, a closure holding member, automatic closurefeeding mechanism arranged to present successive closures to a position where they may be engaged by the closure holding member, a source of suction, and means oper- I ating in timed relation to the container feedname to this specification.

ing means and the closure feeding'mechanism for intermittently establishing vacuum communication between said source of vacuum and said closure holding member whereby upon engagement of the'clo'sure holding member with the closure the latter is held therein by said suction, container grippingmeans for automatically gripping the successively feed containers to permit relative rotation of the closure holding member and the container to effect application of the closure and means for effecting such relative rotation.

3. In a machine for applying closures to containers, in combination, container feed- 0 ing means, a closure holding member provided with an opening for the reception of the closure, automatic closure feeding mechan-' nism adapted to present successive closures to a position to be engaged by said closure holding member, control means engageable by the .advancing'containers for controlling the closure feeding mechanism, vacuum creating means for creatin a vacuum within the 010- sure holding mem r at the time of engagement of the closure holding member with the closure to thereby enable such member to pick up and hold a closure, means operating in timed relation to the container feeding means and the closure feeding mechanism for automatically establishing vacuum communication between said vacuum creating means and the holding means, and container gripping means for automatically holding the advancing containers to permit relative rotation of the closure holding member and the container to effect application of the closure and means for efiecting'such relative rotation. 4. In a machine of the character described, in combination, containerfeeding means, a closure holding member provided with an opening for the reception of a closure, means for relatively moving the container and closure holding member to apply successively closures to the containers, vacuum creating means, and means for intermittently establishing communication between said vacuum creating means and the closure holding memher at the time of the engagement of the closure holding member with a closure whereby the closure holding member may pick up and hold a closure, container gripping means for holding the container to permit relative rotation of the closure holding member. and the container to effect application of the closure and means for effecting such relative rotation. I

In testimony whereof I have signed my HENRY A. GUSTAFSON. 

